In the public's need-to-know interest, I'm here to tell ya—if ya haven't guessed already—that I'm on hiatus. I've got some BIG projects frying in my own artsy pan right now that require my undivided attention or they may just burn up and turn to unpalatable ash, and nobody wants that, do they? No, no they don't.

While I'm currently unsure just how long this break will last, please keep right on sending me your art and music event announcements, press releases and love notes 'cause I'll still be active on Twitter and Facebook, sharing what's good and adding my occasional 2 cents when I can spare it.

September 21, 2017

Images are powerful things. As it has been proved time and again, a single image can greatly influence the way we perceive ourselves and others, sometimes changing and sometimes reinforcing what and how we think, whether it be positive or negative or meh. And because we live in a world dominated by visuals, the matter of who controls the creation and presentation of any given image meant for public consumption can be highly significant and, at times, divisive.

Up for current consideration, a fashion photo published on page 25 in the September 2017 issue of Milwaukee Magazine that has rightly enraged the city's Black community and its allies. To be blunt, it is an image so obviously tactless, insensitive and dehumanizing in its composition that, upon initial glance, it should make every thinking human being on the planet join in a shouting chorus of "No, No, No!" or an equivalently clamorous phrase, perhaps laced with a healthy number of swear words.

For those Milwaukee-area residents who have somehow managed to remain unaware of this image and the ongoing controversy it has sparked, the photo depicts a young white woman modeling a minidress, which is fringed with 4,000 plastic cable ties, standing in front of a huge mural of a young Black man dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit. I'm going to recommend that you read that description again and review the image carefully—don't worry, I'll wait—just to make sure all of the offensive implications of this image have fully sunk in to your brain.

The image is one of four included in the Milwaukee Magazine fashion spread entitled A Cut Above and intended to promote the third annual Milwaukee Fashion Week (MFW), which is actually one day short of a working week (September 20-23) if you count the MFW Mingle event that happened last night, and who wouldn't? The spread features the work of four MFW designers: Emily Ristow, Allison Jarrett, Madalyn Manzeck, and Sarah Nasgowitz, the last of whom designed the minidress modeled in the infamous photo.

To her credit, Ms. Nasgowitz did post a private Facebook message—a screenshot of which I received from a source—stating that she was not aware of the photo until after its publication. She also offered her "apologies to those who were offended by the photo." It's a stand-up statement that, posted in its entirety, would be an admirable gesture of solidarity if made public, which I would like to suggest she do.

So how exactly did Milwaukee Magazine end up green-lighting and publishing such a clearly unacceptable photo in what should have been a benign fluff piece on fashion? The story is a deep one—and long one, so bear with me, kids—filled with all kinds of breaches of journalistic protocol and, at its heart, the stubborn presence of white privilege that pervades mainstream media and society at large.

As anyone who has ever picked up an issue of Milwaukee Magazine over the past 25 years knows, its target audience is overwhelmingly white. Though, to be fair, there is some diversity that can be recognized as the great majority of its content appears to be aimed at a broad range of whites, from affluent white suburban dwellers to affluent white urban dwellers. Truth-embedded sarcasm aside, it also publishes news-based articles regularly and investigative pieces on occasion.

Like all old-timey print magazines, Milwaukee Magazine distributes its monthly issues early, which is how local writer, public relations professional and entrepreneur Clarene Mitchell stumbled across the September issue while waiting to give blood to help hurricane victims on August 31. Her reaction to the photo was immediate and justifiable disgust, motivating her to write a brilliant opinion piece detailing why the composition of the image conveyed an abysmal juxtaposition and taking marketing firms to task over their continued lack of staff diversity.

Mitchell's op-ed, first published on LinkedIn, was quickly shared widely on social media and then republished by Milwaukee Independent on September 6. This prompted Milwaukee Magazine's editor-in-chief Carole Nicksin to meet with Mitchell on September 8. Also in attendance at the meeting were Mitchell's husband and business partner Thomas E. Mitchell Jr. and artist Adam Stoner, who had created the mural that was used as a "backdrop" in the magazine's photo.

Stoner's mural, entitled Devontay and located in the Black Cat Alley open-air gallery on the city's East Side, has its own history of controversy, which the artist handled deftly at the time of its unveiling last year and he continues to do so. The work is intended to call attention to the very serious issue of mass incarceration, especially as it occurs in Milwaukee and the State of Wisconsin, which holds the very shameful distinction of having the highest incarceration rate of Black males in the United States. In light of this, Stoner had sent a letter to the magazine prior to meeting, objecting to the mural's use in the photo, stating in part:

"Please be aware that this photo is a deeply inappropriate and tone-deaf use of an artwork meant to condemn mass incarceration. There is nothing cool, trendy, or hip about the suffering of our black and brown neighbors. This photo takes an image of an inmate and makes it the background against which a white woman markets a designer fashion. This is completely unacceptable."

Right on.

As a significant matter of fact, Black Cat Alley and all the murals displayed there are the property of the East Side Business Improvement District (BID). Since any magazine photo shoot is a commercial endeavor, I reached out the organization to ask a few questions. Kristin Godfrey, the relatively new executive director, kindly provided the following statement:

"The East Side BID has been handling commercial photography requests on an as-needed basis since it was opened. The art is all copywrited and the copywrite is owned by the East Side BID. As far as I understand, Milwaukee Magazine did not contact either my predecessor (Jim Plaisted) or any of the East Side BID Board Members for permission… I am currently putting together a more complete commercial photography agreement for consistent execution moving forward as we are excited to have interest in usage of Black Cat Alley but want to ensure that it is used appropriately."

A very good idea indeed.

According to Clarene Mitchell, the in-person meeting with Milwaukee Magazine's Carole Nicksin did not go well. Faced with not just one but three concerned citizens, each with their own vested interest in seeing that the glossy publication be held accountable and that it own its terrible decision, the editor-in-chief—most likely in an ill-advised effort to lighten the mood—coyly insulted Mitchell for bringing an "entourage" with her. Needless to say, things went downhill from there.

After the meeting, on that same day, the magazine published a weakly worded apology on its website, burying it low on the homepage, carrying the ultra vague headline of An Apology. I'm not quite sure how they plan to differentiate the headline of this apology from any another in the future—or perhaps they believe they'll be perfect from now on—but I do know this: If they have any designs to delete this very important albeit lackluster apology at some point, they should be aware that the Internet never forgets and delete never really means deleted. In the interest of driving that fact home, I encourage all you readers to help out by clicking on the link to An Apology. Do it once, twice, maybe even ten times. It's super fun!

With the meeting having provided a very unsatisfactory outcome, the Mitchell wife and husband team appeared on 860 WNOV AM's The Rise and Shine Show with Jermaine Reed on September 11. For those not familiar, WNOV describes itself—as well as its sister station W293CX 106.5 FM—as "Milwaukee's true heritage radio station… [catering] to Milwaukeeans all across the city with relevant and engaging topics that are often ignored by mainstream media." The Rise and Shine Show airs Monday-Thursday, 7:00-9:00AM.

All in all, it was a very productive and honest discussion, covering other questionable publishing decisions made in that particular issue as well as the broader concern over how the Black community is portrayed in mainstream media. I highly recommend that everyone watch and listen to it here, especially white folks.

During the radio interview and call-in discussion, the couple described their meeting with Nicksin in detail. Apparently, the editor-in-chief admitted outright that Milwaukee Magazine does not employ any Black staff members or other people of color—okay, admission of an unpleasant fact is the first step to recognizing that you have a problem and that's a good thing. She then went on to say that the reason is because, through the methods (i.e. using websites that cater to journalism job seekers and employers) and standards (i.e. requiring past experience in magazine work specifically) that the publication has traditionally used, it simply hasn't been able to find qualified, diverse candidates in Milwaukee—ooh, admitting that you haven't really tried to explore all avenues to fix the problem and then claiming that the fault rests with others is always a very, very bad thing.

At a different point in the interview, Clarene talked about what she believes would be the right way for Milwaukee Magazine to truly apologize and show a real commitment to the Black community and other people of color as a part of the larger community, and it is something she also brought up to me when we sat down to compare notes on the issue. Though she admits herself that is perhaps a radical idea, Mitchell would like to see all copies the September 2017 issue removed from the physical and online shelves, for as long as they are there and available for purchase the photo remains an insult. And to that idea, radical as it may be, I give my hearty endorsement. I would allow the magazine to archive two print issues and one digital, ya know, so we can all marvel at them in the future and see how things were before the end of racism.

It should be noted here that John Kowalkowski, member of the Milwaukee Fashion Week (MFW) board, did call in to the show, displaying a graceful humility and sincerity that Nicksin could learn a lot from. On-air, Kowalkowski extended the organization's "sincerest apologies for that image being portrayed in the magazine," stating that MFW "did not have anything to do with that photo shoot" and outlining the organization's commitment to engaging the city's diverse cultures. His phone call and statement, which is largely reiterated in a post on the MFW Facebook page, was welcomed by all in the studio.

Let's just pause here to point out that MFW is yet another party that, as matter of professionalism, should have been notified and consulted about the photo shoot, and could have possibly stopped the publishing—maybe even the taking—of the photo, but simply wasn't. That's what we in the biz call breaches of journalistic protocol.

On September 12, the day after the Mitchells appeared on The Rise and Shine Show with Jermaine Reed, Milwaukee Magazine's editor-in-chief made her appearance on the same program, sitting down with the same host. While we can certainly commend Nicksin for her willingness to show up and face the discord, her performance was, well, let's break it down, shall we?

After Reed gave an introduction of his guest and a short synopsis of the controversy over the photo, Nicksin issued an additional apology, saying the initial statement on the website "in retrospect, perhaps it didn't go far enough" and that she is "well aware that we have the highest rate of incarceration for Black males in this state," characterizing the publication of the photo as a "major, major oversight."

Reed began the meat of interview by referencing another piece in the September issue, entitled The Notorious B.M.A. (a.k.a. Big Money Addicts), written by senior editor Matt Rhrodey, in order to discuss the overall concern of how Black men in particular are represented in the magazine. The article focuses on the criminal deeds of a North Side Milwaukee gang—B.M.A.—the leaders of which are four Black men. It's a fairly salacious, borderline tabloid, long-form story, with the author awkwardly throwing in the odd "street" term within the text. Mugshots of the four gang leaders are also featured prominently in the piece. Who knows, maybe they can get a reprint in The National Enquirer.

In response, Nicksin rattled off some positive articles the magazine has published in the recent past about various Black individuals and other people of color as well as subjects about and of concern and interest to the Black community. These facts are true, but her tone was a bit dismissive and somewhat defensive.

Nicksin was given the opportunity to address the utter lack of racial diversity on the Milwaukee Magazine staff when a caller wanted to hear about her plan to make the publication more fairly reflective of the community. The editor-in-chief chose to begin her response with a preamble, saying:

"I have to say, not in defense, but to fairly represent my staff, there are other types of diversity. There's religious diversity, there's gender diversity, and there's also, most importantly, diversity of opinion."

Nope, not relevant.

She did finally get to the question asked, however, by stating that she intendeds to reach out to the National Association of Black Journalists and other groups that advocate on behalf of people of color in professional media. And to that we say please do, but also make sure that local media professionals are included in the magazine's search. Here's a Facebook video of a couple of local professionals in which they list a fair number of writers, editors and other media types (beginning at 8:07) who live and work right here in Milwaukee. Homework is hard, but necessary.

There's just one more matter I'd like to call attention to in the Nicksin interview. On two separate occasions she referenced the fact that, a year and half ago, she came to Milwaukee from New York City, where, apparently, "integration is just a given" and she "worked with very diverse staffs" and "took it for granted that we all looked for jobs in the same [places]."

Firstly, I would like to direct Ms. Nicksin to the 2016 American Society of News Editors (ASNE) Diversity Survey, focused on daily print and online-only organizations. While Milwaukee Magazine is a monthly publication, these stats are transferable with a negligible margin of error. The survey found that minorities as a whole—including all women—make up only 16.94% of the overall workforce. And out of that, Black professionals make up only 5.33%, with Hispanics faring similarly and other people of color coming in even lower. That's nationwide, in the United States, where I believe both Milwaukee and New York City are located, so while it may be possible to have a perception of working "with very diverse staffs" the reality is a far cry from the level of diversity that we should all be experiencing.

Secondly, to say that "integration is just a given" anywhere in the U.S.—even in cosmopolitan NYC—is a textbook example of white privilege. Yes, there are places where integration rates are better and Milwaukee is the highest rated city when it comes to segregation, but we are in no way alone in this racial dysfunction. One need only read or watch or listen to the news to know that oppression and discrimination based on race, which is the cornerstone of segregation, is everywhere, therefore, integration cannot be taken for granted anywhere or by anyone.

Okay, so where does Milwaukee Magazine go from here? Here are my suggestions:

1. Hire Diversity. Numbers Count. Hire new staff members and build a pool of contributors consisting of many people of color at different levels of authority immediately.

2. Hire Local. There is simply no good reason to require that job candidates have experience specifically in the magazine industry. Writers are writers, photographers are photographers, graphics folks are graphics folks. They are professionals, they are flexible, and they will learn on the job quickly if they have to. Besides, it's the editor's job to make sure they do.

3. Abide By Journalistic Protocol. Ensure that all parties who have a vested interest in an event and/or other subject matter that you want to cover or promote are contacted and consulted. That is your professional duty and, while there is no guarantee, they may just stop you from a making a very, very bad decision.

5. Do Not Attempt To Control The Conversation. There has been mention of Milwaukee Magazine hosting a panel discussion on this subject and larger related issues in the near future. I suggest that you have another entity, one with experience in this area, organize and host this event. You have lost credibility with a significant portion of the community and you will not be fully trusted. You should, of course, offer to foot the bill for the event.

6. Do The Work And Listen. White people at Milwaukee Magazine and everywhere, no matter how liberal, in-touch or woke—as the young people say—you think you are, it's not enough. You must keep educating yourself, you must keep working on yourself, but most importantly you must listen to people of color. Remember, no one person is ever a full representative of their group and no group is a monolith, so do the work to find different sources of insight to which you can listen and from which you can learn. From books written by intellectuals who are people of color to Black Twitter, the world is your teacher so go get yourselves an education.

I have some other suggestions, but I think I've made my point. Okay, here's to doing the work!

June 18, 2016

Artists with a focus on the disciplines of short film and video are all painfully familiar with the multitude of challenges they face when publicly exhibiting their work in settings outside the traditional theatre or school/church basement. If they choose to project it on the wall of a gallery or museum and there's no special darkened space available in which to display it, their work can be as washed out as a pair of '80s acid jeans. If they present it on a television or external display, they run the risk of ending up in some back corner so lonely and remote that no one will take notice. If audio is absolutely imperative to the integrity of the piece, it can easily get lost in the sound and fury of an opening reception and/or end up competing with the audio of other works, creating an indiscernible cacophony of aural madness. And the annoying list goes on.

However, there are times when film and video do get their deserved due in glorious grandeur without having to be part of a film festival, and tonight's Temporary Resurfacing II event is one of those times.

Temporary Resurfacing II is the second round of a one-night-only happening that debuted back in September 2014. Like its inaugural, tonight's event entails the projection of short film and video on exterior surfaces of buildings—with some works also presented inside—along two blocks of West Historic Mitchell Street in Milwaukee. Unlike the 2014 exhibition, though, this one actually managed to garner much needed funding support from the Milwaukee Arts Board in the form of a $2500.00 grant as well as a substantial donation of visual/audio equipment use and professional staffing from local production company Majic Productions.

Organized by Milwaukee-based artists Demitra Copoulos, Marla Sanvick and Maeve Jackson, Temporary Resurfacing II features 30 works created by 36 regional, national and international artists who are all—wait for it—getting paid. Well stop the presses and give 'em a hearty WHOOT!

Tonight's exhibition brings back several artists who participated in 2014, including Ted Brusubardis—whose piece Pacel Galvu became one of the best short videos I've experienced in many moons when it was shown in an appropriately darkened room at Portrait Society Gallery earlier this year—Adam Carr, Sara Condo, Cathy Cook, Paul Druecke, Kim Miller, Andrew Swant, Wes Tank, Xav Leplae, and co-organizer Marla Sanvick.

The exhibition runs tonight, Saturday June 18, 2016, from 8:30PM to 12 midnight on West Historic Mitchell Street, between South 11th and South 9th Streets.

Check out the Temporary Resurfacing website for further details and a handy map. On the site you'll also find a Donation tab, which, according to Copoulos, will remain there after the event so you can say Thank You for a presentation of short film and video done big and beautiful, and show your support for future Resurfacings. There will also be a donation station located on 10th and Mitchell during the event.

May 25, 2016

For those who don't regularly bide their time immersed in the intellectual circles of artsy musician types, the term "new music" can be confounding. Like its kissing visual cousin "contemporary art", it sounds and feels too vague to be of practical use as a definition of a movement or genre. Though, as a point of comparison, one can argue—and many of us do—that the mainstream genre term "indie" hardly serves as a denotation of precision, since much of the music categorized as such is not produced independently but is rather the product of sub-labels owned by corporate labels, so how then can "indie" mean independent in any real sense, huh?! Um, haha, yeah, I'll just take a breath here. Out with the bad, in with the good.

Okay, so when we are confronted with the term "new music" it is reasonable to ask two questions: 1) How new is new? and 2) When is new not new anymore? If we look for answers by researching the programs performed by ensembles of the genre, we will, without fail, find ourselves frustrated. As a general rule, new music concert programs primarily focus on the work of living composers, but what does it mean if a piece performed was composed 30, 40 or even 50 years ago? Is it still new or does it qualify simply because the composer is still kickin' around? Maybe. And what if an ensemble performs the world premiere of a piece in the course of a varied program? Does it make that piece more new than the other new works in the program? Perhaps. But how would we describe it then? New-new? Ultra-new? Super-duper-mega-new? Dunno.

In short, as with contemporary art, the exhibitions of which can represent a time frame anywhere from the 1930s to last week—i.e. longer than the average lifespan—we must let reason go, relax, and open ourselves up to the work as it is presented. And, in doing so, hopefully come to an understanding that cannot be gained while our brains annoyingly chatter away about logic and time and historical context.

Now, when I make a grand statement such as the above, I of course expect you highly intelligent consumers of information to test my assertion by having the experience yourselves. And your next best chance to achieve this sublime sensory comprehension of new music is on Friday, June 3, 2016, when Milwaukee's own Present Music performs its 34th Season Finale at Turner Hall Ballroom.

Featuring guest conductor David Bloom, conductor and founding co-artistic director of the much lauded New York-based Contemporaneous, the concert program is jam packed with challenging pieces. Click, watch and listen, people:

That last one is just about as new a piece of new music as you could hope to be performed, really. Though there's no evidence—or need—to suggest we should, we'll go ahead call it ultra-new, as I'm pretty sure it lost its super-duper-mega-new status once it turned one year old.

Since David Bloom was among those to commission Still Life initially and he happens to be the guest conductor for Present Music's concert, I wondered how much of a role he'd played in deciding on the full program for the Finale. I sent him an email, to which he kindly responded:

"Kevin [Stalheim, artistic director of Present Music] was very interested in hearing my thoughts on shaping the program, so we designed the concert collaboratively. He encouraged me to bring some repertoire that hasn’t been done in Milwaukee, which turned out to be something of a challenge since Present Music has done so much great new music that I know and love. Kevin gave me some broad strokes about what he had in mind for this season finale, and he went for my wildest dream pieces."

Now that's exactly the situation you want as a guest conductor, isn’t it? Yes, yes it is.

Bloom also expressed his admiration for the Present Music organization and its work with genuine enthusiasm as well as his excitement at having this first opportunity to work with its musicians:

"I've been a fan of Present Music from afar since I learned several years ago about the amazing work they do, so I was elated to see a note from Kevin inviting me to conduct a concert with the ensemble. Present Music is a fantastic example of a group whose work locally has gained a much-deserved reputation nationally for excellent programming.

I was very excited to take the invitation initially because of the opportunity to work with such a great group of players, but the reasons for my anticipation have only grown with time. The more I look into the past programs of Present Music, the more amazed I am at the ambition and innovation that the ensemble has presented for the people of Milwaukee for 34 years. What's more, the organization's deep community ties through its engagement programs and impressively large following demonstrate that Present Music will continue to be a catalyst for musical creativity well into the future."

Ah, it always feel good to get props from the outside, reminding us that we should never take for granted those exceptional groups and individuals living and working and doing good in our own midst.

Present Music's 34th Season Finale is on Friday, June 3, 2016 at Turner Hall Ballroom, 1040 North 4th Street. Get your tickets here! Added Bonus: There is an after party, featuring the musical stylings of local band Painted Caves, described by their record label, Amarrass Records, as "Middle Eastern-influenced psychedelic grooves meet California surf rock." For those of you who've never heard them, that'll be even more ultra-new music!

February 17, 2016

All those who commit themselves to the practice of writing poetry derive their art from asking questions, eventually learning to express their discoveries through their own unique voice. This process is often painstakingly slow, involving much angst and joy and pounding of the delete button with one finger that exhibits a fierce strength reserved for that purpose alone. Needless to say, only the very tenacious survive the experience and live to repeat it over and over again.

So when it is announced that a poet of such stalwart caliber, namely Richard Blanco, is coming to town, one best take note and start asking one's own questions. And that's exactly what I did when I was alerted by Milwaukee's award-winning poet and LGBTQ activist Carmen Murguia of Blanco's upcoming appearance.

Sitting down with Murguia last week over hot cappuccino and chai—not in the same cup, of course. Blech!—she told me a tale that begins with the idea springing forth from a casual conversation she had with Carl Szatmary, owner of Outwords Books. Seeking poetry recommendations, Szatmary suggested Blanco's work to Murguia and, lo, the notion of bringing Blanco to town was born and it was good.

Through many months of communication with Blanco's publicist and sponsorship proposals made to several local organizations without success, the event seemed dead in the water. But the good and determined people at Milwaukee Public Library would not let it perish and managed to find enough poetry loving donors to bring Blanco to town. Huzzah and Hooray!

For those unfamiliar, Richard Blanco's biography reads as anything but straight forward. Born in Madrid, Spain, in 1968 to exiled Cuban parents, Blanco and his family immigrated to the United States when he was just weeks old and settled in Miami. That brief yet complex history alone would provide enough source material for anyone to begin the work of probing the Biggest of Big Identity Questions: Who am I? Where do I come from? How do I fit into this world? But Blanco would face yet another emotional and intellectual challenge as he learned to come to terms with his homosexuality and embrace his true self.

Though well-known within literary circles since the publication of his first book of poetry, City of a Hundred Fires, in 1998, Blanco is most widely recognized as the first Latino and openly gay writer to serve as inaugural poet of the United States. As many may recall, he wrote the poem "One Today" and read it at President Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony on January 21, 2013.

Since then, Blanco has published a memoir, The Prince of Los Cocuyos: A Miami Childhood (2014), and a children's book of "One Today," illustrated by Dav Pilkey. He is also Co-Creator, along with author and poet Ruth Behar, of a blog called Bridges to/from Cuba: Lifting the Emotional Embargo, which seeks to provide "a cultural and artistic platform for sharing the real lives and complex emotional histories of thousands of Cubans across the globe."

The Richard Blanco event is this Saturday, February 20, 2016, from 7-9PM, at Centennial Hall in the Milwaukee Public Library's Central Library—enter on Eighth Street, between Wells Street and Wisconsin Avenue. A Q&A session and book signing will follow Blanco's talk, and his works will be available for sale from Outwords Books.

January 21, 2016

For the intellectually curious and the infinitely patient among you, the results of the survey I recruited y'all to take waaay back in November are now available for download here. Well hot diggity, we can hardly believe it, right? Yup diggity.

As some may recall, the survey was designed to examine the relationship between social media network communication and the development of artistic collaboration. Also, it was created to get me some Stats learnin' credits to apply toward the long-delayed completion of my BA in Comparative Literature. So how did I/you/we do? I/you/we got an A, people, so nice work!

Anyhoo, the results are presented in the standard APA style of a quantitative study. While the prospect of reading an academic paper may sound comparable to the oh-so pleasurable experience of eating sand, this one's not that bad—really, I swear. Plus it's about art and you love art, so there's that.

A sincere and heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated and shared the invitation with others! In the most literal way possible, I could not have done it with you. Hooray for Us!

As most of you have no idea, I was recently accepted back as a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) after a decision of I'll-just-take-a-semester-off somehow turned into I'll-just-take-12-years-off—HA! The goal? To once and for all finish up my degree in Comparative Literature. Shout-out to the Comp Lit Geeks!

Anyhoo, one of the required joys of this educational process is the successful completion of a Stats class—Yuck! While I hold all Masters o' Math in very high regard, working with numerals is not my greatest strength. Happily though, I have been afforded the opportunity to turn Yuck! into Yay! by focusing my individual research on the subject I love best: Art in all its forms.

With that in mind, I have created a survey examining the relationship between social media network communication and the development of artistic collaboration. Interesting, no? Yes!

Artists of any and all disciplines are invited to take part, so if you're one of those CLICK HERE!

And, because I know y'all are curiouser than the curiousest cats on the planet, results will be posted on this here blog once the data analysis is compete.

Rest assured, all of your responses will be kept strictly confidential. No individual participant will ever be identified with his/her answers. Added Bonus: It should only take about 15-20 minutes.

Take the survey now! Also, share this with your artsy friends so they can join in the statistical fun!

September 15, 2015

Bronzeville. Whaddya know about it? That it was Milwaukee's African-American cultural and artistic district during the first half of the 20th Century—a vibrant and happenin' area of the city where those of African descent, largely migrating from the South, could feel welcome and get busy building a life. That it was wrenched apart by the highway/freeway building craze of the 1950s. That it endured the harsh and violent backlash of systematic racism during the Civil Rights Era. That it was left to fend for itself and nearly crumble away—as many neighborhoods in many cities were—during the recession and stagflation of the 1970s, lasting well into the '80s. That it experienced the full force of continued systematic racism and economic depression, bolstered by draconian "tough on crime" and mean-spirited welfare "reform" legislation that punishes the most vulnerable among us, in the 1990s and stubbornly persists today.

Phew! So, yeah, it's been a long, hard haul for Bronzeville and the folks who call it home. Good work has been done and continues to be done by many, lest we forget, but no one would deny that if you cannot gain the attentions and pry open the wallets of the powerful and influential—no matter how vigorously you wave your arms and shout, "Over here!"—progress will be slow and sometimes painfully so.

Over the past few years, talk of the revitalization of Bronzeville has come to the fore. There have been proposals made by developers, public meetings held and discussions had on the Interwebs™, but hard evidence of movement has been a bit lacking.

Now, however, something exuding real beauty and strength is beginning to take shape in one of the district's city-owned vacant lots, right next to 628 West North Avenue: A public art sculpture by one of Miltown's most prolific artisans, Ras Ammar Nsoroma.

Entitled Mama Bronzeville, Nsoroma's piece was conceived and submitted for entry during the first Bronzeville Public Art Contest this past summer, winning the votes of a discerning panel of judges, including Rhonda Manuel, Department of City Development (DCD) Bronzeville District Manager; Jayme Montgomery Baker, Friends Of Bronzeville; Christopher McIntyre, Bronzeville Advisory Committee/local artist; Della Wells, local artist; Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs, 6th District/Bronzeville; and Tina Klose, DCD Community Outreach.

The competition was stiff, with the artsy likes of Reginald Baylor, Symphony Swan/Kierston Ghaznavi, Mikal Floyd-Pruitt, and Nsoroma all vying as finalists for the chance to make a solid artistic impact on a district so significant to the city's past yet so in need of a better present.

"A woman of African descent seated on a West African stool, with arms raised in front and her hands above her head, clutching a bird with open wings. Clothed in a loose fitting white garment that contours her slightly pregnant belly. In her garment are etched symbols in a recurring pattern representing attributes of Bronzeville's past, some being its economic independence, vibrant nightlife, strong families and community.

The pregnant woman herself represents Bronzeville's past being the womb the gives birth to Milwaukee's present African American community, the matrix of its beginnings. To me it brings to mind the earliest mother and child figures that precede the christian Madonna, that of Auset & Heru or Isis & Horus. The bird signifies Bronzeville although being somewhat confined, still expressed its freedom. The West African stool calls to our foundation of African values."

Indeed, it would be difficult to imagine a more accurately metaphoric representation of the perseverance and tenacity of the neighborhood and its residents than that which combines a true reverence for history with an unwavering belief in hope for the future. The fact that the figure is a woman just adds an extra oomph!

While Mama Bronzeville will not be the first public artwork in the district made by an artist of African descent—many murals have been painted by African-Americans in the neighborhood, as Nsoroma fairly pointed out during our conversation—but the piece will be the first outdoor sculpture to be created by an African-American. When I asked him what that meant to him personally, his answer reflected the mixed feelings that honestly and often come with being The First in anything:

"Being the first of hopefully many to come, I'm honored but it also tells me that the piece must be flawless because of what it could represent for future commissions for people of color, and that's added pressure."

This pragmatism, however, did not and could stop Nsoroma's aspiration for the effect he would like his work to have on the neighborhood at large:

"I would like the piece to be an inspiration for the community, youth and elders. A place of contemplation and reflection, a mojo for the hood. A muse to incite future artists and acts of creation."

Translation: Aim high, kids, aim high!

In a nod to the virtue of unflagging persistence—to keep on keepin' on, no matter how much your waving arms hurt or how hoarse your voice becomes—this public artwork has been commissioned by the City of Milwaukee and, according to Rhonda Manuel, DCD Bronzeville District Manager, supported by City/Vacant Lot and Tax Incremental District (TID) funds. Well pour me a drink and call me tipsy 'cause I can hardly believe it! In addition, all copyrights will remain with the artist, to which we say, "Whoot and Hooray!"

Installation of Nsoroma's Mama Bronzeville began on September 12 in the vacant lot next to 628 West North Avenue, and the finished work will remain on display there for a minimum of 18 months. After that, the sculpture will be moved to another location yet to be determined within the Bronzeville district.

For those interested in knowing whether or not there will be more Bronzeville Public Art Contests in future, Rhonda Manuel says, "Yes, we are looking have more…" so let's all make sure that happens, 'kay? 'Kay.

July 16, 2015

Let's be blunt: Non-objective art has some serious personality issues. Like so many artistic terms whose names and meanings spring from the minds of the original off-kilter crowd--a.k.a. us--non-objective art exists in a space of inherent contradiction. It is an intangible idea that must express itself through the tangible. It is work devoid of any representation of objects that must present itself through objects. It is, in and of itself, a paradox, therefore providing the greatest opportunities for a downright trippy experience.

In the larger timeline of human history, non-objective or abstract art has not been deemed by the Guardians Of The Western Art World as an acceptable form of expression for very long, though evidence of its widespread use and acceptance by the humble hoi polloi goes back to the very birth of our let's-put-a-design-on-this-thing-so-it's-not-so-bloody-boring instincts. Thankfully, a few people back in the late 19th century thought it might be fun to start exploring this early inclination and then, because we can never leave well enough alone, complicate it with deep philosophy. Hooray for us!

Anyhoo, by the time the 20th Century glided in, the few had grown to a fair number. Then we tried super hard to annihilate ourselves in the Great War (1914-1918), a global trauma that jump-started many new art movements and bolstered the rolls of non-objective/abstract practitioners and admirers. Then we tried super extra hard to wipe ourselves off the planet again in the Second World War (1939-1945), after which even more artsy folks were drawn to the simple yet complex non-objective/abstract path.

One of those artists went by the name of Lucia Stern (neé Martha Ida Lucia Karker; 1895-1987), who lived her entire life in Milwaukee. With a bio as fascinating as any of the most famous and a resume that bespeaks her absolute dedication to the practice and advocacy of the arts, Stern has nevertheless been largely, though not totally, ignored. And to that we all shout, "Booooo!"

Well, kids, we may now rejoice, turning our deafening "Booooo!" to a hearty "Yay!" as that legacy of neglect of Stern's, erm, legacy ends tomorrow with the one-night only Lucia Stern: Why Not Be In On It exhibition at Usable Space.

Curated by Neil Gasparka and Elisabeth Albeck, the exhibition finds its roots in a not uncommon story: An individual sees a piece by an artist he/she has never heard of and is floored. He/she then becomes single-mindedly intent on finding out as much about the artist and her work as possible and is again knocked-out. Then he/she says with great passion, usually to him/herself, "I must share the tale of this outstanding artist and her work with the world!" And so he/she does. The End.

Actually, there's a whole lotta detail and whatnot not outlined there, so I sat down with Gasparka for a small chat to flesh-out the story. Turns out that last November, while working in the Preparatory Department at the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM), he was the one who had the all-important encounter of the uninitiated--MAM has a couple of Stern works in its collection. He was very impressed, to say the least, and did a bit o' research to find out more about her and her work. Then, as sometimes happens, he got distracted.

Meanwhile, having engaged in many conversations in which he spoke about this artist with such admiration, Gasparka's partner, Elisabeth Albeck, surprised him with a Christmas present of an original Stern, purchased on--wait for it--eBay. With that, the passion was back in full force and, in January, both Gasparka and Albeck committed to curating the exhibition.

Needless to say, the past five months have seen Gasparka and Albeck invest countless hours of research and plod through hip wader deep layers of logistics to get this show up and ready for your viewing pleasure.

There will be fourteen pieces total on display, as well as archival photos, an audio interview and a video interview with the artist, generously on loan from the Haggerty Museum of Art, MAM, Timothy Cobb Fine Arts, Milwaukee Public Library, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Golda Meir Library. Two private collectors along with Gasparka and Albeck are also contributing work.

Of additional note, since Stern was also a writer and poet, twelve brave souls have agreed to read some of her literature at the event, including the entirety of her 1971 chapbook, Criteria For Modern Art.

As we stated before but with far less emphasis, Lucia Stern: Why Not Be In On It is a ONE-NIGHT ONLY show, so there are no second chances, kids. Get yourselves over to Usable Space, 1950b S. Hilbert Street in Milwaukee, tomorrow night, Friday July 17. The exhibition runs from 6:30-9:30PM, with readings beginning at 8PM. See y'all there!

June 09, 2015

Many moons ago, in a place we like to call Reality, there was a fair amount of opportunity for intrepid folks to start their own publishing entities and deliver literature and film through three-dimensional objects known as books, VHS tapes and DVDs. Though the road was not smooth by any means, demand was sufficient enough to buoy those who believed their cause just and their goods, well, good. Then the Media Banshees of Doom began to scream that traditional publishing was dead and all must digitally publish or perish. Sadly, many believed this hyperbolic howling to be true and quickly abandoned the old ways entirely, feeding into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

To be sure, the bellowing of the Banshees has not changed over time, remaining consistent in message, frequency and volume. But it is through the exposure to this very constancy that some have achieved acclimation and realized that, like the ambient noise we live with daily and nightly, it can be and often should be ignored if ya wanna stay anywhere near the periphery of sanity. Also, when has heeding the screechy, nearly panicky advice of "experts" ever been a good idea? Never, that's when.

While, certainly, one cannot be a luddite about such matters--I for one loves me all sorts of digital publishing and willingly engage in it myself--but not everyone has access to it nor does everyone want to consume all their information/entertainment that way. There has always been and always will be a beauty to the experience of holding a book, VHS tape or DVD in one's hand. Tangibility is a powerful thing indeed and many of us do not want to see it disappear any time soon.

One such organization that has decided to tune-out the digital-or-bust madness and get on with the work is Urban Anthropology Inc. (UrbAn), a non-profit, community-based membership association. Since 1999, UrbAn's mission has been to raise awareness of and celebrate cultural diversity while developing programs and projects that tackle tough issues common to urban areas, most specifically in and around Milwaukee.

From its very beginnings, UrbAn included the production of creative work--documentaries, plays, etc.--as a means of teaching and demonstrating the very positive benefits and the not-so positive tensions and problems that can arise with cultural diversity. So it only made sense that UrbAn would eventually launch its own publishing arm, which it did back in January of this year.

Dubbed MECAH Publishing--MECAH stands for Milwaukee Ethnic Collection of Arts and Humanities--it aims to produce and distribute literary work and film that speaks to non-academic audiences and highlights the vast and varied mosaic of culture and sub-culture existent in southeast Wisconsin urban centers. And all work is produced and distributed through 3-D objects only, at least for now.

But here's the really big news: MECAH is currently accepting proposals for literary fiction and nonfiction work as well as films/documentaries. Yes, you read that right, so if you're a writer or filmmaker looking for a chance to create a work that both enlightens and entertains, and you can meet the objectives and the guidelines, you need to jump on this!

Now, longtime readers of Cricky's words know that I would never, NEVER blog up an opportunity that didn't have some real compensation component for the artists--I don't and won't waste either my or your precious peeper time on anything that propagates the pernicious practices of some, which are usually expressed through such sentiments as "It'll look good on your resume" or "The exposure alone is priceless." Pure rubbish, people! So you may have every confidence that I have confirmed beyond doubt that authors and filmmakers will receive 50% royalties of the net profits of the product sold. Not too shabby by any standard, folks.

March 27, 2015

A learned and enlightened sage, whose name has long been lost to time, once said, "From the moment we emerge from our mother's womb and take our first breath, we are bound to the land by our evolutionary path, and those who brave the beautiful yet fickle waves of Poseidon's domain are both undeniable fools and indisputable heroes." One eyewitness to this momentous speech reported that the great philosopher then added, "So if ya think I'm climbing aboard that floating deathtrap willingly, you got another thing comin'!"

Thus these mostly wise words effectively describe the deep and highly complex emotions we feel when we stand upon the brink of any body of water, whether it be the enormous sea, one of the many Great Lakes or the kiddie pool at our cousin's fourth birthday party. There is joy. There is wonder. There is fear.

And yet we go--we dive in, swim through and sail upon. But as air-breathing mammals with bodies ill-equipped for longterm marine life, we of course must find ways to deal with and express our complicated relationship with H2O, salted and fresh. Enter maritime art and song, offering such a broad kaleidoscope of human emotion--jubilance, jealousy, sorrow, anger, desire, contentment--it can easily be transcribed as metaphor for any other aspect or way of life.

Conceptual/craft/installation artist and landlubber Maggie Sasso fairly recently became enamored with maritime culture--with its curious tools, tables, symbols, and signs--and its powerful storytelling ability. As she puts it, while conducting research for an exhibition in 2010, she came across a book of sea charts and was, er, hooked.

"Through further research I fell in love with the aesthetics of ships and sailors, it's a very flexible aesthetic, one that can be overtly humorous and stylized, or quite sombre, it can be industrial or highly ornate and decorative… I also fell in love with the navigational/inventive aspects of sailing as well as the exploratory aspects. It was, and still is a dangerous activity, the sailor is ultimately at the mercy of the sea, something we are so far removed from on dry and civilized land."

After moving to the shores of Lake Michigan in March 2011 and getting a taste of the lake air, Sasso developed an intricate project from a simple action: Hoisting a homemade flag pennant on the bare flag poll attached to her apartment building. Through observation of that flag as well as a miniature flag buffeted by a small fan, she gathered data--such as wind speed and thread condition--and invented other related objects. This project would eventually culminate as an installation, accompanied by a hand drawn manual, in the group exhibition The Story of Six at the Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, Tennessee.

Now Sasso is poised to open a new solo exhibition, Haul Away Home, at Gallery 2622 in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, but the concepts are far deeper and much more emotional than those she had explored in her previous work.

At the heart of Haul Away Home is a very personal story--one that tells of her close neighbor's tragic suicide, the discovery of his body and the feelings of stunned helplessness that followed. By all accounts, Fred, a lifelong bachelor, was the best neighbor anyone could have. He was cheerful, friendly, helpful, intelligent, and kind. But like many who commit suicide, he gave no obvious outward signs that he would ever take his own life, leaving Sasso, her husband Ben and their other close neighbor to grapple with endless questions and the sense that perhaps they could have done something to prevent it, that maybe they could have saved him if they'd only had the right tools.

To both honor Fred's life and explore the process of grieving that his death set in motion, Sasso turned to the maritime culture she had grown to love, which inherently lends itself to diametrical expressions of the jovial and the somber. Having inherited some of Fred's possessions, for Haul Away Home Sasso chose his mechanic's jumpsuit and oil rag as visual representations of his life and work, placing both objects in a raft with an American flag, his empty uniform laid in repose, and conjuring similar nautical memorial images.

Sasso also crafted a slew of common maritime objects, including oars, a flare, a life vest, a rope float--ya know, those brightly colored, floaty thingies that tell us where we can safely swim--and a life preserver. All of these pieces are made from cloth, sewn like pillows to imitate the look of their functional doppelgängers but of no practical use. In addition, she made a nautical-inspired dress, adorned with hand-embroidered badges.

The description of how all these objects interplay with one another is best left to the artist:

"While the smallest objects in the show, the badges [on the dress] represent the macro version of the story, and the largest piece in the show, the large raft with Fred's mechanic outfit, is the micro version of the story. The badges rectify the difference between learning something artificially, the way a girl scout would earn a badge, and learning from experience the way I did when I discovered Fred. No amount of preparation can really prepare you for a sudden, intense and visceral experience. The Life Vest, Life Preserver, Oars and Flare are also all handmade. These objects are each rescue devices, that because of their material are ineffective as actual rescue devices. They are hung on the walls around the raft, offering levity to the situation, but no concrete help. These objects directly reflect the way in which Fred gave us no options to help him. The only thing I could do was call 911, which is why the Flare piece has erupted, a way call upon the professionals so they could process the situation through the proper channels."

That's a lot to take in, no? Yes. But don't think for a minute that Sasso was done yet. In the great tradition of maritime music, she also wrote, performed and recorded her own little ditty, along with some ambient sound, which can be heard playing during the exhibition. For those who'd like a preview listen, Sasso has kindly uploaded it to her site.

The opening reception for Haul Away Home is on Friday, April 3, 2015, from 6-9PM at Gallery 2622, located at 2622 North Wauwatosa Avenue in Wauwatosa. The exhibition will only be on-view for one month, April 3-30, so don't dawdle, kids.